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Visit to Telperion Farms

May 26, 2015 by Jonas Dupuich

Plants love Oregon – 100 wholesale nurseries can’t be wrong. Many of these nurseries focus on conifers – and at least one grows bonsai exclusively: Telperion Farms.

Chris and Lisa Kirk started Telperion Farms on 100 acres east of Salem, Oregon. Numerous growing fields support pines, maples and junipers while less common varieties including hornbeam, quince and ume, fill many more. The Kirks also grow over 90 varieties of satsuki azalea.

The Kirks are among the nicest people in the business and they’re doing a great job with their trees. Gary Wood contributes at Telperion as well, bringing his great horticultural knowledge to bear.

You can get trees from the Kirks at a variety of bonsai events in the west, by ordering trees online, or by visiting the nursery in person. I recommend the latter – it’s great to see the trees up close!

Chris Kirk

Chris Kirk and company

Most growing fields are covered with weed cloth to simplify maintenance. The trees are planted in root pots to simplify transplanting.

Japanese black pines

Black pines

The Kirks aren’t afraid to rely on sacrifice branches to thicken trunks. By letting trees run for several years, they get incredible growth in a short amount of time.

Enjoying pines

Eric Schrader among the pines

Up close, it’s easy to see the low growth that has been preserved to help with future primary branching.

Japanese black pine

Black pine

Japanese black pine

Black pine

I can’t imagine how much labor it takes to keep up field after field of trees, but I can say that it sounds like fun – especially when the trees grow so quickly.

Japanese black pines

Scots pine

Japanese black pines

Scots pine

Japanese black pine

Scots pine

The sheer number of shimpaku in the ground brought a smile to my face.

Shimpaku

Shimpaku

Enjoying shimpaku and pine

Is that enough shimpaku for you?

Elsewhere in the nursery, maples were growing with great speed.

Japanese maples

Japanese maples in the ground

Japanese maples

A variety of Japanese maples

At one point the Kirks discovered an unnamed dwarf variety of Japanese maple. These are now being propagated.

Dwarf Japanese maples

Dwarf Japanese maples

Korean hornbeams

A field of Korean hornbeams

Korean hornbeam

Korean hornbeam

Trident maples

Trident maples in Anderson flats

Trident maple

Trident maple

Some of the lower fields contained row after row of 10′ high deciduous varieties. Do I see future workshop material?

Dawn redwoods

Dawn redwood

Seiju elm

Seiju elm

Seiju elm

Nice trunk – let’s take a closer look

Seiju elm

Trunk detail – this elm is ready for the digging.

If you’re interested in material for bonsai, get in touch with Telperion.

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Filed Under: Excursions Tagged With: Telperion Farms

Previous Post: « Junipers of Bonsai Mirai
Next Post: Displaying a Korean hornbeam »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. David Parker says

    May 26, 2015 at 10:44 am

    Would love to have a good walk around this place

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